*Bet on yourself- After a global pandemic, we didn’t know if large stadium tours would be a thing of the past. Taylor also hadn’t toured since 2018. She didn’t know if people even wanted to see her. She bet they did and on herself and now history has shown it’s the most successful tour in music history.
*Know your intellectual property’s worth- Taylor’s masters were sold without her getting a chance to buy them. The songs written by her, about her own life meant a lot to her, so she re-recorded them and now the Taylor’s Versions of the songs are what you hear on the radio. She new that her songs were important to her and to her fans and weren’t something to give up on. Neither are your ideas! Earlier this month she was able to use the money she earned from the Eras Tour to buy back her masters. Another bonus lesson about perseverance.
*Train your brain and keep growing- During the re-recording of Taylor’s past albums she has said her creativity flourished. With so much re-recording and producing her creative muscles kept getting bigger and bigger. That much training meant she was able to write Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department quicker than we thought humanly possible.
*Bring along people you trust- Taylor has been touring with the same band and back up singers for years. They are part of her family and part of her circle of trust. They are wildly talented and also have shown they are trustworthy. They have shown they are trustworthy and she has built trust with them, too!
*Pay your workers and give them bonuses when you succeed. Taylor gets health insurance for all her dancers, one of the only musical acts to do this. She also rewards everyone’s hard work- during Christmas 2023 one of the truck drivers shared he got a $100 000 bonus.
*Do it with a broken heart, but take time got yourself. Taylor plays sometimes three nights in a row but between shows she has one week or sometimes a month off. This keeps her healthy, the stage production staff happy and her fans waiting for more.
*Prepare! 6 months before Taylor started the tour she would sing the whole set list while running and walking on a treadmill. Preparation means everyone that sees a show is more exhausted than Taylor herself!
*Read the room and market- People wanted more grey hoodies so more grey hoodies became available. They wanted more Lana Del Rey on a song, they got it released. Instead of sticking to original plans and what she thought people wanted, she followed the market.
*Have a personal connection with your fans- Taylor makes eye contact with fans in the audience, she speaks between songs, she gives a hat away at every show. These connections give her a reputation of someone who is deeply committed to fans and relatable. THAT is how to sell out a world wide multi year tour and that is how you become more successful in your business.
